Courts

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a defendant’s argument that his trial attorney was ineffective because he
failed to object to an interpreter arrangement during a witness’s testimony and chose not to have all of discovery translated
into Spanish.

Chief Justice Brent Dickson led the Indiana Supreme Court for just two years, but attorneys who practice before the court
said his decision to hand the reins to a colleague is in keeping with the leadership tone he set. Dickson expects to step
down from his position as chief justice sometime before Sept. 1.

Citing the terms spelled out in the contract, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled that a car dealer that entrusted a buyer
with mailing a title to the lender will have to pay the balance of the auto loan.

The religious rights of corporations, the speech rights of abortion protesters and the privacy rights of people under arrest
are among the big issues still unresolved at the Supreme Court of the United States.

A challenge to state law prohibiting convenience, grocery and drug stores from selling cold beer failed Monday when the U.S.
District Court for the Southern District of Indiana denied the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction and granted
the state’s motion for summary judgment.

A class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of former inmates accuses officials at the Floyd County jail of forcibly stripping
the inmates of their clothing and keeping them naked in a padded cell for prolonged periods of time in violation of their
constitutional rights.

A former deputy director at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles says he told agency leaders as early as 2010 that many BMV
fees exceeded what was authorized under Indiana law but that the agency kept overcharging Hoosiers for at least two years
to avoid budget troubles.

The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld precedent in finding a mother who made sporadic child support payments over several years
did fail to provide assistance for one entire year as outlined in state statute.

A federal judge has ordered the Office of the Federal Defender for the Southern District of Indiana to disclose whether it
is holding any property belonging to William Conour, the former attorney who was represented by a public court-appointed lawyer
from the agency.

A woman who pleaded guilty to drunken driving and was ordered to pay restitution to a victim hurt as a result of a crash was
entitled to use insurance proceeds to pay the court-ordered damages, the Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

Although a prosecutor made an inappropriate comment during a man’s trial for criminal confinement, that comment had
little persuasive effect on the jury, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The judges affirmed Jonathan Stephens’
conviction of Class C felony criminal confinement.

A man who broke into the same property repeatedly and another property at a different time could not persuade an appellate
panel that his 24-year sentence was inappropriate because the crimes were from a single episode.

A Marion County man has made a prima facie showing that the trial court erred by denying his request for counsel at a hearing
on contempt. Brian Moore’s ex-wife wanted him found in contempt for not paying the full amount of child support.